“It’s not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing”

Mother Teresa

If you had asked me in high school the definition of practicing well being I would

have said that playing soccer and my friends were my way of practicing well being. The physical exercise of playing soccer, emitting the endorphins, cleared my head and my soul. My friends, always my source of energy and grounding, also help me achieve that inner peace.

In my college years, I see and feel how that definition has changed. I decided not to play soccer in college and to focus my energy and time on my academics. It was at that point, I began to stress knowing that my greatest outlet for stress was playing soccer no longer existed. I developed many deep, lifelong friendships at Mason so that one constant still remained. However, I felt deep inside my soul that I needed something else, something to help me find that inner peace. I found this inner peace through meditation.

I visited a close elementary school friend at her college and saw that she created a “meditation” space in her room. She too needed to de-stress and find that inner peace that she had gotten from gymnastics in her high school years. I emulated this “meditation space” in my own room, creating a quiet environment for me to decompress for the day, process all I have learned and experienced and allow myself to re-charge myself for the next day.

I have learned to slow down, to use mindfulness throughout my day. I have learned to take one full minute to eat a grape; feels its texture, take small bites and savor each and every bite. I have found that taking care of my inner self and helped me have more energy and focus on the things that truly matter. With this clearer focus, I have found myself more involved and able to actualize myself to my full potential. The inner peace has led me to have inner energy.